Kraft: Brady told me he's willing to play another 6-7 years

Tom Brady has shown no signs of slowing down as he approaches 40 years old, and the continued dominance appears to have the future Hall of Famer set on playing for as long as he possibly can.

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft told reporters at the league meetings Monday that Brady recently said he's open to playing for 6-to-7 more seasons.

"As recently as 2-3 days ago, he assured me he’d be willing to play 6-7 more years," Kraft said, according to Jeff Howe of The Boston Herald. "At the level he performed, there’s no one that would be happier than I and our fan base. In some ways, you think about, I think there’s one player at the age of 40 who had one good year: (Brett) Favre for the Vikings. But he didn’t do so well before (turning 40). I think Tommy’s sustained excellence is just unbelievable, and it’s a lifestyle. He’s in training now. It’s not like he’s stopped. He works out."

The 39-year-old has hinted in the past that he doesn't have any intention of walking away from football in the near future, and his comments to Kraft stand as confirmation

Playing another six years would carry Brady through his age 45 season, well past the point any player could reasonably expect to maintain success in today's game.

But then again, the Patriots superstar is a different breed.

After leading the New England to the fifth Super Bowl title of his career, Brady heads into his 17th season looking to widen the gap between himself and the competition among the greatest quarterbacks football has ever seen.